Site Features:

Growing Pains

The North Fork Shenandoah River contributes 20% of the water supply to the mainstem Shenandoah River, but has received 60% of the population growth (1980 to 1990) in the Shenandoah River basin. The river is becoming increasingly burdened with demands on its water supply and there are no signs it will slow down. So, there is an urgent need to manage the river's water resources in order to prevent an eventual crisis. But in order to prevent something, you must first define what it is.

An adequate water supply means different things to different people. It is easy to conclude that no water is the only inadequate water supply and you don't need to manage a plentiful resource. However, the river provides a variety of services (economic, recreational, and biological) to the people; many of which require water actually in the river. Economic benefits include drinking water, waste assimilation, hydropower, industrial and agricultural uses. The region gains significant recreational (and economic) benefits from the smallmouth bass fishery, which cannot survive without adequate flows throughout its life cycle. Other aquatic organisms (crayfish, minnows, insects) that support the bass fishery also depend on adequate flows.

During severe low flows in July 1999, the U.S. Geological survey conducted an investigation of water quality in the North Fork Shenandoah River and the results raised some concern. Of the 52 sites studied, 11% failed to meet Virginia water quality standards for maximum temperature, 35% were near the upper thermal limits for smallmouth bass, 25% exceeded the state standards for pH (acidity), and 37% fell below the minimum standard for dissolved oxygen (4 mg/l). In order to protect the river's aquatic resources, steps must be taken to ensure that conservation flows are maintained.